A Tribute to New Orleans, "Juse" Jambalaya

I went to New Orleans.

I went to New Orleans the week before Mardi Gras.

I went to New Orleans the weekend the Saints won the Super Bowl.

I really went to New Orleans.

And I loved it! If you've never been to that town, you absolutely must go. Partyers, foodies, travelers and jazz folks alike, it's one of the most eclectic places I've ever been.

The sidewalks are filled with history, mystery and people. The buildings are beautiful. The jazz music played in the streets hangs in the air, and the chatter of excited newcomers fills the restaurants and bars. It is truly one of a kind.

When I was in Nawlins, I went to all the hot spots. I got a beinget at Cafe Du Monde. I sipped a Hurriane from Pat O' Brien's. I had gumbo and jambalaya and pralienes and great coffee.

I wish I could go back. Yes, during the trip I was exhausted, hungry, off my regular control freak schedule, but I also spent five nights in an incredible city with some of my best friends and the most hysterical people alive. Here are some pictures of our fun.

Julia, the tall blonde, is probably my soul mate, or business partnet.  I come up with the jokes, she delivers them. She makes me laugh more than anyone ever, I think. Now, for some reason, when she and I get an idea, it takes off. I won't even go into our TupperCleats campaign, but one day that will make us millionaires.

This has a point, I promise.

One day, after a particularly long afternoon of cemetary touring, hurricane sipping and bead stealing, we finally ate lunch at a recommended hole in the wall off the beaten path. Maybe that was our first mistake. We all ordered typical Nawlins cuisine. I can't remember specifics but I know that I got jambalaya.

Spicy, hearty and filling, I could barely eat half. I didn't want to throw it away. Julia (or Amy) ordered the sausage sandwich and it was the same deal. We had an excess of leftover food, and we definitely weren't going to bring the leftovers onto Bourbon Street, please!

Julia and I, in our philanthropic mindset, thought it would be a good idea to make a jambalaya sandwich. We called it "Juse Jambalaya" because that's what our names are combined. No, we aren't 15 years old, we're mature aspiring chefs with creative minds.

We made up a song too. I won't do you the pleasure of giving you the lyrics in case we ever sell it to Beyonce for some big bucks.

We frolicked down the streets after dinner, Juse Jambalaya in hand, and sang our song. We found a man, who was either homeless or an aspiring artist (I think artist), who was hungry. He told us this. We told him if he sang our song, we would give him the sandwich. Guess what?

He sang it! And so he was awarded with the first ever Juse Jambalaya Sandwich. It was a moment in history.

Now whenever I make jambalaya, I think of those times. Brings a smile to my face every time. And all joking aside, I make a mean jambalaya. Check out the recipe, and maybe you'll hear the faint jazz music too. 

What ya need:

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 to 12 ounces smoked chicken sausage or chicken andouille, coarsely chopped (casings removed)

1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small dice (1 1/2 cups)

1 large onion, cut into small dice (1 1/2 cups)

1 cup chopped celery (from 2 to 3 ribs)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 large cloves garlic, minced (1 to 2 teaspoons)

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 bay leaf

2 cups no-salt-added canned diced tomatoes, plus juices

1 cup low-sodium nonfat chicken broth

3 cups cooked brown rice

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 scallions, white and light-green parts, cut crosswise (1/2 cup chopped), for garnish

What ya do:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, until it shimmers. Add the sausage or andouille and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, until it starts to brown. 

Add the bell pepper, onion, celery and crushed red pepper flakes to taste; cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes, until the onion becomes golden.

Add the garlic, parsley, basil, oregano and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and their juices, then add the chicken broth.

Bring to a boil (increase the heat if necessary), then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

Add the cooked brown rice, then cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaf and divide the jambalaya among individual shallow bowls. Garnish with the scallions and serve hot.

 

MIA again! I know.

We can blame all day training this weekend for a personal trainer certification course...not my fault! Honestly, you didn’t miss much of my eating. I’m only updating you so I can tell you about the delicious pie I just ate. Ha. Seriously, I’m in a food coma… for the second night in a row. I think I have been since Thanksgiving. I can't keep using holidays for excuses. Although, we have St. Patty's and State Patty's, Easter, Memorial Day... 4th of July. Yep, wow, seems like it will be at least five more months until I can get back on track.

My food is all over the place. I ate pretty healtfully this weekend until night time. As usual. I'm just about sick of blowing a days worth of good nutrition out the window for a midnight splurge. I guess I'm not sick enough of it to change my behavior though.

These first few pictures are examples of what I ate during my training. For breakfast two of the three days I had an omelet stuffed with black beans for filling protein and fiber and some shredded mexican cheese. I had clementines on the side. Nice start to the morning. That, on top of coffee, and I was set for the day.

Lunch every day was the same thing: peanutbutter and banana sandwich.

The recipe is simple and definitely easy to vary depending on taste... All you need is:
2 slices whole wheat bread
2 tbsp creamy peanut butter (spreads better)
1/2 medium banana
(optional)
1 tsp honey
1 tbsp marshmallow fluff
Toast the bread, let the PB melt, add the bananas, BAM, Awesome sandwich!
The one pictured was toasted but usually I had them cold. This sandwich never fails me. No matter what I'm craving, this hits the spot. Nothing like a mouthful of peanut butter.For those of you who prefer peanut butter an apple... well, you're a yuppie.

This next picture is not a bag lunch. No, no. It's far worse: bagged dinner! Oh it was awful. I didn't know our schedule so I packed this soggy ham sandwich with an apple and yogurt and granola. I went home and drowned my sorrows with ice cream... and a bite of cake. The safeway brand is easy to resist. The next picture is JAMBALAYA. No, I haven't had enough from NoLa.My mom made this and it was better than any we had in the dirty south...don't tell. We had it with squash and brussel sprouts (which I hate)...
Now, here are the good food parts of the weekend.



Amie and I went to Chevy's for a date on Valentines day. Pretty sure the waitress thought we were an item. Nice. I got the three item combo-- should have gotten two item but go hard or go home right? Wrong! I was so full after this. You know it's bad when your borderline crazy person waitress tells you to "pound it and lock it up" because she was impressed at how much food I ate. Makes me sick to think about it... Not full enough not to try the delicious raspberry cheese cake/chocolate truffle at Amie's and the key lime pie at my house... ughhhh!!!! I've lost all control! Alex tells me I can eat what I want when I want it... coming from a guy who eats like a machine and still is ripped. Guys are lucky! Anyway, enough whining. I do this to myself. I have another stomach ache tonight... big surprise. I tried Indian for the first time...

I ordered Tikka chicken, which is basically what they cook in the clay oven. It's a lot like Tandoori chicken, and also much like the Kabob I get at this Afghan restaurant. It came with peppers, onions, and a whole tray full of accompaniments such as soups, curries, beans, nan bread, and a dessert. This "dessert" was fried flour with water and sugar. Such a delicacy, I'm not quite sure how I turned it down. Oh right, the delicious Key Lime masterpiece in the fridge. The piece I had tonight is actually the one from up above. By the time I came down for round two, the pie was gone. This is not a bad thing... not a bad thing at all.
This is just a random snack I had this weekend.
Finally, this made me happy. Every flavor yoplait light I could imagine... EXCEPT MY FaVORITE CHERRY COBBLER! That made me sad, but overall, I can't complain. Ten for five bucks! Good deal. Don't they just make you want yogurt? Probably not. But seriously, try these! Especially if you have a sweet tooth like mine. I'm putting it away for a week. No desserts for me. I've reached my limit and I'm about ready to burst..unless my jeans do first... justttttt kidding!